Ninja Gaiden 2 has been long considered among the finest character action games ever released, but a complete newcomer to the series will hardly feel the same when playing any of the game's iterations, including the recently released Ninja Gaiden 2 Black. The game developed by Team NINJA is unlike action games from other studios like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, as it is a game that pushes players to play as optimally as possible, not just to hit high scores as in the Bayonetta series but to actually survive combat encounters, which can get hectic fast.
As such, the best way to understand the brilliance of the Ninja Gaiden 2 Black experience is to learn and master the game, starting with some essential techniques that will help you during your first playthrough and teach you how to handle the game's many challenges to take on higher difficulty settings.
Stand Your Ground
Unlike other action games, blocking in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is an extremely powerful defensive technique that is way more effective than dodging in the vast majority of combat scenarios. As such, don't hesitate to keep the block button pushed down as enemies come at you, as you will be able to negate all damage safely. Sometimes, your guard may be broken, but you can easily avoid damage by pushing the left stick in the direction you want to dodge. Blocking will also become available as soon as the dodging animation is complete, allowing you to continue negating damage.
By just defending, however, you aren't going to defeat your enemies, so you should use blocking to learn enemy patterns and unleash combos and special techniques when it is safe to do so. Think of offense and defense in Ninja Gaiden 2 as in a fighting game, where some moves are safe on block and some aren't.
Master Flying Swallow and Izuna Drop
While each weapon has tons of combos and special techniques, which are further expanded with upgrades, there are some techniques that are absolutely essential to master. The first one is the Flying Swallow, a special aerial attack that can be used by jumping and pressing heavy attack and a direction to safely attack enemies and quickly reposition if needed. The second one is the iconic Izuna Drop, which is unleashed with select weapons by launching an enemy in the air and hitting them with three light attacks and one heavy attack. What makes this technique so useful is the fact that it instantly kills enemies.
The best thing about these two techniques is that they are available for use right from the very beginning of the game, as it is possible to perform them with Ryu's starting weapon, the Dragon Sword. They can be used with other weapons as well, so experiment with them to find which works best for you.
Take Advantage of Ninpo Spells' Invincibility
Ninpo Spells are another important part of Ryu Hayabusa's arsenal in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, as they can be used to unleash some rather powerful attacks. What makes them more useful than they may look at a glance is the invincibility some of them grant before the spell goes off. Use this invincibility window to get some heat off of you.
Learn When to Use Ultimate Techniques Properly
Ultimate Techniques are among the least used combat techniques in Ninja Gaiden 2 Black by beginners, as they can be difficult to use properly with little knowledge of enemies' patterns and abilities as they require charging. However, you really should learn how to use them properly if you want to truly master the game, as they are extremely powerful and they can clear enemy groups in very little time.
The best way to use Ultimate Techniques properly is to start charging them when there's Essence floating around, which speeds up the charging process considerably once absorbed. As such, you will want to not absorb the resource right after an enemy is defeated, and there are two ways to do this: you either keep yourself away from it as much as possible, or you keep blocking. Position yourself properly by jumping and then blocking as soon as you land, start charging your Ultimate Attack, and watch your enemies explode in a glorious, gory mess.
Watch and Adapt
Despite the general high speed of the experience, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black wants players to really look at enemies and not just to learn their attack patterns. After dealing some damage, Ryu may cut limbs from enemies, which not only limits their abilities, although they get access to desperate and damaging new attacks, but makes them susceptible to dismemberment, which can be accomplished by hitting them with a heavy attack. Given how important it is to reduce enemy numbers as quickly as possible, always keep an eye on the enemy's current state, and unleash insta-kill attacks as soon as possible!
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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